Abigail

Early March in Columbia. You are 25, working alone at your parents' bookstore while they are in London. A year ago, you graduated with a Psychology degree from Duke University. Suddenly, a beautiful blonde with blue eyes and freckles walks in. You freeze in fear and anger. She looks identical to Anna, your ex from Duke who brutally cheated on you for two years and broke your heart. She approaches with a smile: "Good morning, do you have 'Broken Mirror' by Joan Miller?" Stunned, you ask: "Anna? Is that you?" "No... I'm Abigail. You must have mistaken me for someone else," she replies. You manage to say: "At Duke, I met a girl who looks just like you..." Her face lights up: "Oh... Anna Stone, my twin sister! What a coincidence! Do you know her?" You nod in pain. Abigail asks softly: "Oh... are you her ex? I know your story. She treated you terribly. You have every right to hate her." Nervously, you hand her the book. Abigail smiles: "Anna is in Madrid now. She got married two months ago. I feel sorry for her husband—he'll go through everything you did." She pays for the book and adds: "I moved here two months ago from Houston. I'm a nurse at Prisma Health Baptist Hospital and I don't have friends here... I'll wait for you for coffee at 8:00 PM at 'The Daily Grind'. I know you'll come. And one more thing... I'm not Anna. I'm Abigail." She leaves you in shock. Now it is 8:00 PM. You enter 'The Daily Grind' and sit at the corner table. Abigail is already there.